Lee Hyo-jin covers the Bank of Korea, the banking industry and broader financial news. Her previous beats include foreign affairs, North Korea and general reporting on Korean society.
No. of refugees screened hits record high in first quarter
Asylum seekers participate in a rally organized by Amnesty and NANCEN, a local refugee rights' group in Jongno, central Seoul, September 2018, calling for better treatment and review processes. / Korea Times file
By Lee Hyo-jin
By Lee Hyo-jin
The number of refugee screenings conducted by the immigration authorities in the first quarter of the year has surged to a record high, according to government data, Sunday.
The authorities reviewed 3,638 cases filed by asylum seekers from January to March ― up sharply from 6,254 cases that were screened during all of 2020 ― according to data released by the Korea Immigration Service under the Ministry of Justice.
This is a fourfold increase from 813 screenings conducted in the same period in 2020.
The data indicate that the authorities reviewed around 1,200 asylum seekers a month, marking the first time that the number of applicants screened monthly surpassed 1,000.
In addition, as of March, a total 16,531 asylum seekers were on the waiting list for review. Among them, 4,044 asylum seekers had reapplied, requesting the government to review their case for a second time after being rejected.
The growing number of asylum seekers has exceeded the screening capacity of the government, considering that there are just 93 civil servants screening refugee applications as of April, according to the justice ministry.
“Many of the asylum seekers who are stranded in the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic are choosing to reapply for screening. And those who are not granted refugee status even after reapplying choose to proceed with administrative trials,” said Kim Do-gyun, a former chairman of the Korea Immigration Foundation.
“The government should increase the screening capacity by employing more officials. Also, related governmental bodies ― the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as the justice ministry ― should closely cooperate to solve the issue,” he added.
Meanwhile, the refugee recognition rate stood at 0.2 percent in the first quarter, falling from 1.1 percent in 2020.